PEARL Portable
Reading Camera
Quick Start Guide

Freedom Scientific, Inc.

440528-001 Rev. E

www.FreedomScientific.com
Copyright © 2019 Freedom Scientific, Inc. All Rights Reserved. PEARL, WYNN, and OpenBook aretrademarks of Freedom Scientific, Inc. in the United States and other countries. Information in thisdocument is subject to change without notice. No part of this publication may be reproduced ortransmitted in any form or any means electronic or mechanical, for any purpose, without the express
written permission of Freedom Scientific.

Service and Support
If you have difficulty with your device or its operation, first see Troubleshooting on page 22 to try toresolve your problem quickly.
To contact Technical Support by telephone, U.S. customers can call (727) 803-8600, Monday throughFriday, 8:30 AM to 7:00 PM (Eastern Time).
To contact by e-mail, send questions to Support@FreedomScientific.com.
To search the knowledge base, visit www.FreedomScientific.com and choose the Support link.
Note: This device has no user-serviceable components. Any unauthorized attempt to service orreplace internal components will void the product warranty.

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Table of Contents
Read Me First................................................................................... 1
Introducing PEARL ......................................................................... 2
Opening and Closing PEARL ......................................................... 3
Aligning Documents for Acquisition ............................................. 9
View Modes.................................................................................... 17
Keystrokes ..................................................................................... 20
Troubleshooting ............................................................................ 22iii

Read Me First▪

Make sure that your Freedom Scientific software is installed firston your computer before connecting PEARL’s USB connector to thecomputer.

▪

Do not force PEARL open or closed. Always use the two yellow
release buttons to carefully fold PEARL open or closed.

▪

Review the information in this guide in its entirety before opening andusing PEARL. This document provides a basic overview describing
how to open and close PEARL, connect it to your computer, and aligndocuments against the page guide.

▪

Refer to your software’s user documentation and help files fordetailed acquisition information and other camera operation.

1

Introducing PEARL
Congratulations on your purchase of PEARL!
PEARL is a portable reading camera used in combination with Freedom
Scientific software such as OpenBook® 9 or later, and WYNN® 6 orlater. Use these tools to read books, magazines, documents, and more.
The PEARL camera has an automatic mode that senses motion andallows it to acquire (scan) an image whenever a page is turned. It works
in most room lighting. If the room is dark, simply turn on the built-in LEDlight.

2

Opening and Closing PEARL
Use the following steps and illustrations to open PEARL and connect itto your computer.
Note: Always push and hold the two yellow release buttons to open
or close PEARL.
1.

Remove PEARL from its carrying case, and rotate the page guide
until it is perpendicular to the support post and camera arm. The
page guide locks in place. See Figure 1 on page 5.

2.

Place PEARL on a firm, flat surface with a solid background.

3

3.

Press and hold the release button that is closest to PEARL’s base,and gently raise the support post and camera arm together. The
support post locks in place. See Figure 2 on page 6.

4.

Press and hold the second release button, and carefully raise thecamera arm until it locks in place. See Figure 3 on page 7.

4

Figure 1: Rotate page guide from closed position

5

Figure 2: Press and hold release button (1) to raise
support post and camera arm
6

Figure 3: Press and hold release button (2) to raise camera arm
7

5.

Make sure your Freedom Scientific software is installed on yourcomputer, and then connect PEARL’s USB connector to a USB 2.0
port on your computer.

6.

Start OpenBook or WYNN to turn on and use PEARL.
When using PEARL for the first time, select it using the software’sDevice Selection option found in the Advanced menu. Refer toyour Freedom Scientific software documentation and help files foracquisition and reading procedures.

Closing PEARL
To close PEARL, disconnect its USB connector from your computer,and repeat steps 1 through 4 in reverse order. Never force PEARL
closed. Always push and hold the two yellow release buttons tocarefully fold and close PEARL.

8

Aligning Documents for Acquisition
The camera’s acquisition area is 9 inches wide by 12 inches long (22.86
cm by 30.48 cm).
Note: To acquire the best image possible, make sure the backgroundarea that the PEARL acquires is blank, without any marks or
patterns such as the wood grain on a desk or table.

Documents and Large Books
To align a single page document or large book under the camera, dothe following:
1.

Place the document’s top edge against the page guide. See Figure
4 on page 12.

92.

To align a single page document, do one of the following: center it
between the outer edges of the page guide, or line up a side edgeof the document with an outer edge of the page guide.
To align a large book with facing pages, make sure that the insidemargin of the page to be acquired is aligned with the edge of thepage guide. This prevents needless information on the opposite
page from being acquired. Figure 5 on page 13 shows a right-handpage aligned with the left edge of the page guide.

3.

10Once aligned, move your hands out of the way, and press F4 orSPACEBAR (for OpenBook), or click WYNN’s Scan button toacquire an image and start reading.

4.

Acquire one page at a time when acquiring a full-size book withfacing pages. Slide the book to the left or right to capture the nextpage.

Note: If you are acquiring a large, thick document, such as a text
book, and you notice that text is cutoff or missing near the topof the acquired page, slide the document down a little andaway from the page guide, and acquire again. You can use apencil to serve as a spacer between the document and pageguide.

11

Figure 4: Document and large book alignment
12

Figure 5: Inside margin alignment with page guide13Small Books
Note: For smaller documents (a business card or postcard), place ablank white sheet of paper under the camera, and then thedocument on the blank page.
When acquiring small books, such as paperback books, do thefollowing:
1.

14

Place the book sideways with one edge against the page guide,
and then center the book between the outer edges of the pageguide. See Figure 6 on page 16. This allows you to capture two
pages at once and maintain pagination.

2.

After aligning the book, move your hands out of the way, and press
F4 or SPACEBAR (for OpenBook), or click WYNN’s Scan button
to acquire an image and start reading.

Note: If it is necessary to hold the book flat, make sure that yourfingertips are on the very edge of the page so that they do not
obscure any text in the acquired image.

15

Figure 6: Small book alignment
16

View Modes
You can cycle through the following viewing modes with PEARL andyour Freedom Scientific software: Text View, Exact View, Split View,
and Camera View.

Text View
Text View shows the text of an acquired page after it has beenrecognized by the software. Use it to apply features to customize thevisual presentation of the text, such as contrasting text and backgroundcolors, increasing or decreasing magnification, changing font, changing
character and line spacing, and adjusting the spotlight cursor. For users
with low vision or with other visual processing issues, this can make thetext more readable.

17

Exact View
Exact View is the acquired page displayed exactly as the original
document. You can increase or decrease screen magnification, and panleft, right, up, and down to read the original image.
For a brief list of magnification and panning keystrokes, refer to theKeystrokes section on page 20. For a complete list, refer to yoursoftware’s help file.

Split View
Split View is a combination of Text View and Exact View. Text View
appears in the upper half of the monitor screen and Exact View in thelower half of the monitor screen.
When reading, the spotlight follows text in both the Text View and theExact View. This makes it easy to read with the low vision18

enhancements and still see where you are within the structure of thepage you are reading.

Camera View
This view displays a real-time view from the PEARL camera on yourmonitor. With the live image of a document on your screen, you canchange the zoom level, rotate the image left or right, or pan left, right,
up, and down to view and navigate the image. This is helpful whenaligning the document for acquiring or when filling out short forms.
For a brief list of magnification and panning keystrokes, refer to theKeystrokes section on the next page. For a complete list, refer to yoursoftware’s help file.

19Keystrokes
Note: Refer to your software documentation for additional details andkeystrokes.
▪

F3: Acquire and read document with WYNN (Read-only mode andEdit mode)▪

F4: Acquire and read document with OpenBook (Read-only modeand Edit mode)▪

SPACEBAR: Acquire and read document with OpenBook (Read-onlymode)▪

ESC: Stop automatic acquisition▪

CTRL+SHIFT+V: Cycle among views▪

CTRL+PLUS: Increase zoom (press and hold for continuous zoom)20▪

CTRL+MINUS: Decrease zoom (press and hold for continuous zoom)▪

CTRL+SHIFT+R: Rotate camera view right▪

CTRL+SHIFT+L: Rotate camera view left▪

WINDOWS Key+CTRL+DOWN ARROW: Pan view down▪

WINDOWS Key+CTRL+UP ARROW: Pan view up▪

WINDOWS Key+CTRL+LEFT ARROW: Pan view left▪

WINDOWS Key+CTRL+RIGHT ARROW: Pan view right▪

CTRL+ALT+PAGE UP: Increase speech rate▪

CTRL+ALT+PAGE DOWN: Decrease speech rate▪

CTRL+L: Toggle camera LED on or off21

Troubleshooting
PEARL not working▪

Verify that PEARL’s USB cable is connected to your computer.

▪

Your computer must have a USB 2.0 port. Do not connect PEARL toa USB hub.

▪

Select PEARL using your software. To do this, choose the Advanced
menu and then Device Selection.

No camera LED▪

From within your software, press CTRL+L to turn on or off the LED.

Glare on a glossy document▪

Turn off camera’s LED (CTRL+L).

▪

Dim the room lighting.

22▪

Reposition PEARL’s work area.

Shadows on a document▪

Turn on camera’s LED (CTRL+L).

▪

Dim the room lighting.

▪

Reposition PEARL’s work area.

Errant characters in Text View▪

Make sure the background of the area that the PEARL camera
acquires is blank, without any marks or patterns such as the woodgrain on a desk or table. To resolve this issue, try placing a blank
sheet of paper under the document before acquiring.

▪

When acquiring smaller documents, such as business cards, place ablank sheet of paper under the document before acquiring the image.

23

Warranty
PEARL and its accessories come with a 2-year warranty against manufacturing defects.
Note: These devices have no user-serviceable components. Any unauthorized attempt to service orreplace internal components by opening the case will void the product warranty.
Please call Freedom Scientific Technical Support at (727) 803-8600 for assistance in troubleshooting anyproblems. If necessary, the technical support specialist will issue a Return Materials Authorization (RMA)
number that must be referenced on the outside of the package containing your returned unit. YourPEARL or its accessory will then be exchanged at Freedom Scientific’s discretion or repaired as needed.

24Federal Communications Commission NoticeThis equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B digital device, pursuant
to Part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmfulinterference in a residential installation. This equipment generates, uses, and can radiate radio frequency
energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with the instructions, may cause harmful interference
to radio communications. However, there is no guarantee that interference will not occur in a particularinstallation. If this equipment does cause harmful interference to radio or television reception, which canbe determined by turning the equipment off and on, the user is encouraged to try to correct theinterference by one or more of the following measures:▪

Increase the separation between the equipment and receiver.

▪

Connect the equipment into an outlet on a circuit different from that to which the receiver isconnected.

▪

Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna.

▪

Consult the dealer or an experienced radio or television technician for help.

▪

Changes or modifications not expressly approved by Freedom Scientific could void the user’s
authority to operate the equipment.

Industry Canada ICES-003 NoticeThis Class B digital apparatus complies with Canadian ICES-003.
Cet appareil numérique de la classe B est conforme à la norme NMB-003 du Canada.

25

Regulatory Compliance▪

Wavelengths: 400 nm to 780 nm▪

Power: 5V 500mA▪

Safety: UL 60950-1; CAN/CAS-C22.2 No. 60950-1; IEC 60950-1▪

EMC: FCC (CFR-47, part 15) Class B; Industry Canada ICES-003; EN 55022 Class B; EN 55024

Safety and Maintenance
The LED lamp used in this product is in excess of the Exempt Risk Group defined in CEI IEC62471:2006-07. This lamp has been found to be in the Risk Group 2 classification at an exposure
distance of 20cm or less from the glass surface of the lamp. Care should be taken to avoid exposure
when operating and installing this lamp. The specific hazard is retinal blue light. Do not stare at the lamp
as it may be harmful to the eyes.
To keep your PEARL in good condition, observe the following guidelines:▪

Read the instructions in this user’s guide before attempting to use PEARL.

▪

Do not attempt to repair PEARL or open its case. This product contains no user serviceable parts.

26

▪

Keep PEARL away from wet areas, rain, and other sources of liquids. Do not submerge PEARL.

▪

Always operate PEARL in a place where the temperature is between 10° and 35° C (50° and 95° F).

▪

Do not store in places subject to temperature extremes such as a parked car.

▪

When cleaning PEARL, make sure the unit is unplugged from the computer. Use a lightly dampened,
soft, clean cloth with water or mild detergent. Do not use alcohol, solvents, abrasives, or aerosol
sprays.

1. Camera LED light
2. Camera lens27